Sports reporter

Anthony Griffin started NRL coaching life as a fill-in while the Broncos waited for Wayne Bennett but he has since become one of their best bets, with the club re-signing Griffin to an extended deal in the top job.

Brisbane chief executive Paul White formally announced a two-year extension to his contract, which finished at the end of 2013, at a press conference at Red Hill this morning. He will coach the club until the end of 2015 now and likely beyond.

The 46-year-old has been an instant hit at the Broncos, not only for winning 31 out of 44 games with a young squad and taking them back to the NRL finals.

His management skills and ability to ease the club into the post-Lockyer era have been a hallmark of his short tenure and it’s highly likely his services would have been sought by rivals.

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He has also shown that he is able to make tough decisions on playing talent. Griffin showed the door to one of the club’s brightest backline talents, Dane Gagai, when his discipline wasn’t up to level demanded by the club.

Griffin began life as an Under 20s coach before becoming an assistant to Bennett then filling in after the dramatic axing of Ivan Henjak, which unfolded just weeks before the start of the 2011 season.